Generations (NEW Peace Sign)

by Komod0-Sensei

Izuku Midoriya's life is never easy, in any lifetime. But it wouldn't stand a chance against him otherwise! Now with training from an aspiring hero prior to meeting All Might, and the friends he needs, he's more capable than ever before. Plus Ultra!(I'm not very good at summaries.)(AU, Stronger Characters!, Multi-Quirk!Izuku x Harem)

4. Three Months of Hell

Hey everyone. I'm sorry if this chapter has a few errors. I gave it a full evaluation myself, and my beta-reader is suffering a serious injury. I will post this again once he's recovered, or if you think this chapter isn't complete crap.

Bright Inferno: I am glad you brought that up. I can assure you this All Might will be an infinitely more capable teacher.

Bens6757: Well… you can't please everybody. Besides, at the end of the day, I wrote this for me. Plus, I put up a pole that basically said "Do you want these characters to keep their names even though they're not Japanese anymore, or nah?" And "nah" pretty much won by a 3 to 1 margin. I think they're gonna like it.

Wildebranch: I agree. How the fuck was Bakugo ever in the top ten in popularity polls, much less top three?

And that is an accurate criticism of canon. He may even be able to skip straight to the best part of his understanding his inherited powers. Wink.

Classy J0K3R: That is correct.

Xerzo LotCN: I can assure you, I am not replacing them with OCs. The only thing I'm changing is their names and the countries they come from.

SonicMax: You can be certain he'll tell them the truth.

Jack: Because, That's a Japanese name, and I put up a poll over whether readers wanted new nationalities and names to match them or just new nationalities, and the option for both won out. And I decided All Might would be American to match his canon attitude.

Plasma Dragon 312: Well! I am impressed! I didn't think anyone would try to guess or request, but that's exactly the level he'll be at when the entrance exam starts! It's too bad this web site doesn't hand out rewards, because you'd be getting a gold medal! You are right about him having several months to himself.

Blaze1992: Let's be real here, how many people actually show the scene of younger Bakugou getting chewed out? Not a lot. And certainly not the big ones. And I am well aware I skipped out on the first date. You know who else cut out the possible first date scene? Streggae, in Dark Light. Let's just say I got inspired to do it the way he did. I didn't feel like wasting any more time on before-the-series crap. The rest of the romance will be in-series. And I will most certainly be enlightening some on their relationship in the past six months in this chapter.

As for your question, I was first inspired with this idea by a wonderfully imaginative writer labelling himself Thanos Cradik. I will explain how it actually works here in this chapter. But I'm glad you asked. It reminded me why I dedicated this story to Mr. Cradik in the first place, albeit his take on what it would be like was much more humorous than factual, but that made it no less entertaining. I mean, it hasn't updated in a while, and it's still in the top 20, both in followers and favorites! People just love it that much!

Sonicdude8: Hopefully…

I'm looking at other fanfics, and I'm suddenly compelled to do this. Don't Judge me:

I don't own My Hero Academia. Disclaimer for all franchises is on my profile page.

Yagi Toshinori - Garrick Lamont (American)

---

"It's super-nice to meet you." – normal speech

"Where are you looking?!" – speaking with emphasis/ speaking in a flashback

Is he worried? – thinking/ flashback dialogue

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" - screaming

"WE'RE A'LL GONNA DIE" – Screaming with emphasis

"Detroit Smash" – special move

"Hope has arrived! Because I am here!" - Buff All Might speaking

{READY? START} – Speaker phone speech (Present Mic, in other words)

Entry 83 - Text being Displayed

---

Having made it to the Midoriya household, Izuku started up the stairs slowly, and gathering time enough to think about his day. His dad was out on a business trip since last week, so he would only be returning home to his mother today.

Izuku marched up the stairs to his apartment even more exhausted. He had decided to forget independent training. Getting into an argument with Kacchan in front of the teacher…

Getting attacked by a Villain …

Meeting All Might …

Saving Kacchan from the same villain that could have killed him…

Getting chewed out by pros …

Being deemed worthy of All Might's power …

ALL MIGHT'S POWER

Yes, it was safe to say Izuku had had more than enough physical and mental stress for one day. Forget makeup exercise.

Reaching the top of the stairwell, Izuku opened the door…

"Tadaima!"

And was hit by his mother's embrace as though it were a missile.

"IZUKU!" She cried. "I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE OKAY! WHEN I SAW YOU ON TV, I WAS SO WORRIED!" She had him in an unusually powerful grip, and he could only struggle for air as she held him closely.

"*Gurk* Okaa…san… can't breathe…" he managed to get out. But he was not unaware how much his mother needed the contact, so the instant she pulled away, he instantly pulled her into an embrace that was more on his terms.

"Ohh…*sniff* Izuku…"

"Daijobu, Okaa-san." Izuku crooned, stroking his mother's back. "I'm here. Everything's okay. I'm okay. You're baby isn't in any harm."

Inko giggled through her tears at this. He was trying really hard, she decided, if he was even acknowledging that she still called him that. It had been 10 years, since she had allowed the strange boy known as Jukei to teach him what he could. In all that time, he had done his absolute best to ensure that no harm came to her son. In all that time, she was pleased to find he had kept that promise. More than that, she could tell it was doing Izuku good, as he had hoped. It had seemed like things were looking up for their family. After finding out her son was being attacked by Katsuki, she felt horrible for not knowing anything about it, even if it was only the first time it had happened.

They had decided that with the "friendship" between the two of them broken, that neighborhood was no longer best for them. So they moved, and managed to find an accommodating home that wasn't terribly different from their old one. When she talked to Izuku later on, she discovered he would not have told her or Hisashi if "Ikinuki-sensei" hadn't brought it to their attention, because he didn't want "Kacchan" to get in trouble.

She really couldn't be upset with him.

He was a sweet boy, always had been. It was almost as if he had been born knowing how to be kind. And oh, how he had been born! He was a shy boy at first, so skittish around other boys who seemed so eager to prove they were already men, and never seen with a girl his age. But he was an absolute angel. He was ready to help others without seemingly even the most instinctual thoughts for his own safety. He was always offering to see if he could help around the house, even if he wasn't still built for it. That, in and of itself, made doing things easier for his parents, that there son was so eager to contribute. Not that he was incapable for someone his age in the least. He was able to walk on his own, he could talk in full sentences, and he could even run across more rigid surfaces without tripping.

He was willing to follow those boys wherever they went, but Katsuki most of all. It seemed like those two might as well have been joined at the hip. Her son admired Katsuki's bravery so much because it was something he lacked. And Katsuki would never admit it, but he loved Izuku's praise because he was the most genuine. But they were so different that it was hard for Inko to not worry that something would start in between them.

But when the fierce child's quirk manifested, things changed. Katsuki became louder, prouder, more boastful… and more violent. It was worse than any of them could have considered, including herself.

When Izuku talked about getting his quirk, and how much he wanted to be a hero, they became increasingly nervous. It was a low chance, they considered, that their son would actually get a quirk, since theirs were so low tier, and they had a history of quirkless family member, but he disagreed. They were low power, he argued, but at their core, they were pyro kinetic and telekinetic. The possibilities and potencies were endless! If anyone in his class had the highest chance to get a useful quirk, it would be him. They had never been so proud. Their baby boy was so smart! But it was not to be, as it turned out. When he found out he would never get a power, it broke his heart. Inko still regretted what she had said. She might have very well broken him. Her! His own mother, giving up on her only child!

When the strange young man called Jukei showed up promising to help, she was reluctant, she would admit, but he had kept his promise, and taught her son. She wasn't really sure it would work, but at least her son had someone to keep his spirits up. But it worked out. Her son became stronger in body and mind, especially mind. And two years later, her son was making friends again! And she was certain Izuku was staying out of trouble, apart from whatever… likely very dangerous training he was doing. He had learned how to defend himself, how to properly defend others, and his grades couldn't have been better!

While most boys his age would ask for space, or stay in their own rooms until called, he wasn't afraid to study in the company of his parents, he didn't mind studying in the living room, unless he was bringing his friends for a study group. He would love helping her set the living room straight, or making tea for guests, or taking care of things when one of them was sick. And he wasn't afraid to hug them, or kiss them, or stay close to them in public. He was their son, their angel, their caring, golden-hearted Izuku. And she couldn't ask for a better son, quirk or no quirk.

And he had a girlfriend.

Privately, Inko knew her son's positive spirit would win over many a girl. Hisashi had said so, and she agreed. But she thought he'd want to keep all of his companions to being just friends. She was not certain if he would have the time to manage a romantic partner. Showed what she knew; he made time. And young Tsuyu was a wonderful girl. She may not have expressed herself in the same manner as anyone else, but she was attentive, and caring, and honest, and absolutely adorable! With those big eyes and that friendly little croak and that pleasant voice and, she was just so perfect for him! When she had gotten word straight from the two of them? Well, to give an idea, she had just now crushed her son to death because she had been terrified for him; that was her second tightest hug. She couldn't help but notice young Ashido had seemed a little forlorn.

Oh well, she supposed. Always next time.

Things just seemed to be going so right!

And yet, after over ten years of safeguarded learning, he was suddenly diving headfirst straight into danger, and he had done nothing to stop him. Was fate just toying with her? Did it find it fun to see how many scares her heart could take? She was just so frustrated!

"Mom?" He spoke up, breaking her out of her thoughts. She leaned back to look at him. He winced. Her eyes had red puffy rings around them. "I'm… I'm sorry you had to see me running out there like that. I won't say that I'd hoped you weren't watching or that I was expecting you to be less worried. And I won't ignore the past by saying I'm fine right now. I just… I couldn't stop myself. I… I moved without thinking. And before you get mad at Jukei-sensei, he did try to stop me, but I was just too quick for him. He didn't realize what I was doing. By the time I realized what I was doing, I…I couldn't even turn back. My body wouldn't cooperate. I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear, but… I thought you should at least know why I did what I did."

For several moments, there was only silence between them, the embrace unbroken. After a moment, the mother pulled the son into another loving embrace, much less crushing than the last. "Oh … Izuku … baby, I ... I'm so proud of you. I just want you to be safe and happy. I know… I know the path you've chosen is going to make it… hard to make that second one possible, but… I was so scared that would be the last time I ever saw you. A-and I'll try to move past it. But Izuku, please promise me that if you're going to take risks like that… you'll be thinking of… us, and you'll plan on coming back." When she said us, she didn't just think about herself. She thought about Hisashi, his friends, and his girlfriend… every single person she could muster up who cared about him. And they both knew it.

As an answer, he pulled away just enough to look at her face, and brought one of his hands up to gently brush away her tears. Once he was done, he looked her dead in the eye, and did not flinch.

"Mom, I promise that whenever I put myself in danger, I will think of all of you whenever I go into danger. And I will come out safely."

That was the first time he had ever lied to his mother. Thank All Might he had polished his silver tongue with practice from Jukei. He could never just assume he would come out unscathed! That just wasn't a realistic expectation.

After that, they embraced one more time. This one initiated by Izuku. They spent a long time sitting there, content, before Izuku broke the silence. "Hey, Mom?" She looked at him attentively. Not just because she wanted to be ready to receive what he had to say, but because she wanted to fully process it. "Jukei-sensei and I… we're going to be doing some new training by the beach for the foreseeable future. If you ever want to find us, we'll be at Tagoba, okay?" Izuku wanted to tell her about All Might, about the offer of a lifetime he had been made… but that could wait a little longer. She'd had enough stress for one day. He'd tell her when she was much more calm. Or when she wanted to know more about it. Hopefully the former, when he wasn't being forced to. Hopefully Dad would be back soon enough that Izuku could tell him without feeling like he was just stalling. Telling him over the phone just wouldn't do.

Inko drew a few breaths. She needed them. "Okay, sweetie." She said softly. "Thank you for telling me."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

---

"Okay," Mina looked at the rest of the group as they headed up the steps to the Midoriya apartment, "We're just going to go in and check on him. We'll say hi, spend some time with him to see how he's doing, and we'll be out once he checks out. No funny business, no freaking out."

"Said the one among us who freaks out the most."

"Shut up, Fumi!"

"This seems like a bad idea. I mean, shouldn't we give him some space? Kero." Tsuyu said.

"No way!" The horned girl said. "He needs company! How do you think he'd feel if he finds out that we'd known he was attacked by a villain and we didn't even send so much as a one word 'okay?' text?"

Eijiro answered immediately, as they got to the top of the steps. "He'd feel hung out to dry."

"That's right, so we're gonna show him we care, in the aftermath of his trauma!"

Tsuyu spoke up. "Speaking of messaging, maybe we could have just called him?"

"…Shut up, Tsu!"

"Seriously though," Eijiro said "We're just gonna make absolutely sure he's okay before we go?"

"Yes! We don't wanna take up too much of his time! He could be exhausted after that nightmare he's been through!" Not wasting any more time, Mina rang the doorbell.

"Wow. You've really grown up if you're actually considering how worn out someone is."

"Of course I'm considering it! Anyway, we're just gonna see if he's okay, and we're gonna be strong for him."

Suddenly, the door opened, and Izuku Midoriya was on the other side.

"Hello?"

And then Mina pounced on him.

"IZU!"

By the time Izuku had recovered from the impact, he found himself wrapped tightly in Mina's arms in a tight hug, the second of its caliber that day.

"I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE OKAY! WHEN I SAW THE VILLAIN ATTACK YOU ON THE NEWS I WAS SO WORRIED!"

He felt his head going light.

"Woah, Mina! I think you're huggin' him a little too tight!"

"SHUT UP, EIJI!"

Tsuyu looked on a little enviously. Even after Izuku had become her boyfriend, the pink nuisance became no less open with him. She really needed to learn her boundaries!

Izuku, on the other hand, was still desperately trying to get air back in his lungs, and so sacrificed what little he had left for a desperate two-word message:

"Can't … breathe …"

Fumikage decided to step in. "Okay, that's enough." He brought out Dark Shadow, who was smaller than normal to conserve energy, and used him to try and gently pry Mina off of his choking green-haired companion. However, since he did not want to actually break the clearly needed embrace, he simply loosened her grip to the point that Izuku was not choking.

Having been spared from being strangled to death, Izuku took several deep breaths to ensure he could think straight with what he was provided. He then turned his attention to the alien girl nuzzling into his chest. He tried getting her attention. "Uh, hi, Micchan…"

"You're and idiot."

He was utterly silenced by how devastated she sounded. He almost never saw Mina like this. She was so carefree, as if nothing in the world could bring her down. It killed him when she was actually upset.

It hurt even more that he was the one responsible for it.

So he let her be. He had done this. If keeping this embrace was what it took to make her feel better, then they would sit there for as long as it took. With those thoughts in mind, he slowly wrapped his hands around her, and pulled her into gentle embrace.

"Ahem."

And then Izuku looked around and remembered that the two of them were lying down on his family's doorstep, and were surrounded by company. Fumikage was pinching his eyebrow, Eijiro looked like he wanted to leave the two of them alone, his mother was holding back a giggle, and Tsuyu…

Was glaring at them murderously!

A normal glare of bloody murder was disturbing enough, given the right person and the right motives. On Tsuyu – calm, mature, girlfriend-of-his Tsuyu – it was full-on terrifying. Izuku was suddenly hoping Mina would cheer up faster so the teal-haired girl didn't actually end them.

"So, uh, M-Micchan… are you f-f-feeling better?" He tried to keep his voice steady, but with his girlfriend glaring daggers at them, it was really hard. Fortunately, Mina either got the silent message, or she actually was, because after a few seconds, she nodded slightly, and raised her head up, revealing her eyes were ringed by lilac and wetness. He winced. She sat up, and stepped back from him, before he got up too. A slightly awkward silence took place before Inko spoke up.

"So … what … brings you here, today?"

Eijiro spoke up. "We heard about the sludge villain on the news, Mrs. Midoriya. We just wanted to make sure Izuku was still okay after that whole thing."

"We apologize for intruding," Fumikage spoke, "but we didn't want him to think we were abandoning him when he found out we had known."

Inko teared up, bringing her hands to her mouth. "Oh… my son has such wonderful friends." Everyone who was not given the last name Midoriya sweat-dropped at the typical sight of the Patriarch of the household getting overly sentimental.

"Hey, Mom, can I speak with my friends in private?" The son asked. "I'll try not to take too long. I just… want to talk to them about the… training change."

"*sniff* Okay, sweetie. You can talk with them as long as you need to."

"Thanks, Mom. It won't be long."

And with that, the motley crew of aspiring heroes made their way to Izuku's bedroom.

No one bothered with the fact that Tsuyu was latching onto Izuku's arm a little too tightly on the short trip there.

Once inside the room, everyone sat down. Izuku and Tsuyu sat on the bed, and Eijiro and Mina sat on the floor. Once Izuku was certain everyone was seated and ready, Izuku began.

"Okay, guys. I know this is sudden, but I've had… a change in regimen. Jukei-sensei and I will be working with… a new trainer. I'll be doing mostly strength training for a while, not sure how long for." He wasn't even lying to them, just being very cryptic about this new trainer. He suspected it was strength training of some form. All Might's quirk basically endowed him with super-strength, of that he was certain. Hearing that it had once belonged to several other people who "refined" it with each use made it sound like they worked to attain full control of it as it became stronger with each new wielder. He wasn't sure exactly what it took to be ready for the power, but he could suspect that had to do with the wielder being fit enough themselves. And since he really didn't know what this training would entail, he really couldn't deduce how long it would take him, just that it would have to be before the day of the U.A. entrance exam in ten months. "As such, I won't be able to show up for any of the standard training. In all likelihood, Sensei will probably continue you guys' training and allow this new teacher to see to my training on his own. I think he trusts him enough for that."

"So who is this new trainer?" Tsuyu was the one to ask first.

"Yeah," Eijiro pitched in, "how are you sure you can trust this guy?"

"I…" Izuku hoped he wasn't violating the trust they had so carefully built up, over the course of eight years. It's just… if it turned out Izuku did not pass All Might's little test, he didn't want to leave his identity to a group who he had no significant connections with. "I can't tell you right now." Don't hesitate. "We don't know if this training is going to work out, and if it doesn't… he prefers to keep a low profile. He prefers the only people who need to know he exists are people he's teaching." There, that's it, just one more loose end. "And the reason this person hasn't agreed to teach any of you is because we… forgot to tell him about you." That pause was deliberate. "That, and the reason is the same as why he wanted to teach me specifically, because he happened to see my little stunt with the sludge villain," the flinches across the room did not escape his gaze, "and he didn't want me to squander my… latent hero potential. His words, not mine."

When he looked around the room, he saw they were a little hesitant to accept his answer, but he hoped they would. He didn't technically lie too much, right? Right! All Might had told him his powers were explicitly a secret, and if he didn't pass this test, regardless of how confident he was, he didn't want to spread the information unnecessarily. Fortunately, they seemed to buy it.

"Well, that makes sense." Eijiro replied, grinning. "I guess if Sensei can trust this guy, so can we."

"*Sigh* Okay, Izuku." Mina decided. "I'll trust you on this one."

"I'll accept this explanation." That was about as much as he could expect from Fucchan.

Nervously, he turned to Tsuyu, who was looking at him with that adorable blank stare of hers, thought right now it was making him sweat bullets. Tsuyu had known him for years, and was supernaturally perceptive anyway. Out of everyone, she probably saw right through the holes in his story, from the instant it left his mouth. His real hope was that she would accept the silent plea to her specifically: I want to tell you, but it's not my call. Not yet.

"If you really think it's a good idea, Izuku-chan, I'll allow it." He let out a breath he didn't even realized he had been holding. "But," he stiffened, "I expect to hear the whole story when this training his done."

When, not if. She believed he would get through it, no matter what it was. That… made him feel so much better about keeping his friends in the dark. Even if it was for what he hoped would be a very short time.

"Anyway," Eijiro spoke, the hardener getting off the floor along with Mina, readying to leave. "It's good to see your okay, man. I don't know if I'm cut out for the kind of training this mystery man's got if a stunt like that's what it takes to get his attention."

"Ditto, there."

"Agreed. A vicious trial."

"Kero."

And with that, they made their way towards the door, Izuku seeing them out. But before Tsuyu could leave, Izuku grabbed her hand and pulled her close, blushing. He took her hand in his and looked her dead in the eye.

"Everything." He whispered. "I promise." He then gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"…Are you just trying to get me less upset with you?" She asked.

"Probably." He answered. "I don't even know myself. I just wanted to."

"…" She smiled at him. "I hate that it's working."

"I also thought you might be mad at me for letting Mina cling to me earlier."

The short girl snorted at that. "Izuku, I'm your girlfriend, not your superior officer. I know she was really broken up about it. I just wish she would understand her boundaries a little better."

Izuku returned her snort. Good luck with that. "Well, I'll see you, Tsucchan." He patted her on the head. She let out small "keros,"indicating her enjoyment of it. Something he had been permitted to do when they started going out was to pet her. As it turned out, she loved it, but as she got older, it seemed more intimate, more embarrassing to let just anybody do. So, she firmly decided only a boy she liked, a boy she had told she liked them, would get that privilege.

"See you, Izuku." And with that, she went to catch up to the others.

That night, Izuku was still struggling to fall asleep. He couldn't stop thinking about what tomorrow had in store for him, nor could he stop thinking about the responsibility that he had accepted. This was the power of the world's greatest hero! The hero who stood for everything he wanted to be! Was going to be, if he could pull through. Was this really happening?

…Well, if worrying about that was what kept him up, he could be certain it was real. He remembered having come so close to death. His friends had shown up to check on him, so it had definitely been real from that point on. All he really needed to worry about was being physically ready.

It was these thoughts that he finished with before he found himself dozing off.

---

Approximately Eight Months before U.A.s Entrance Exam,

Tagoba Municipal Beach

Garrick drove towards the increasingly clean sea side in his pickup truck. He had begun training Izuku's already considerable physical strength to better handle his power… which would soon become young Midoriya's power as well. His job would be to clean up the designated section of the beach on his own (he had sworn knowing nothing about the pickup truck underneath one of the larger piles. Thank goodness it was the only one.). Since he was so athletic, he decided to make it more challenging by telling Young Midoriya to carry it from the beach all the way to the dump on his own. He had made astounding progress, maybe he would even make it with time sufficient to learn how to properly use his new quirk. These were his thoughts as he parked near the seaside entrance, and was promptly struck with the sight of his successor's "progress."

"RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He saw the successor in question standing atop a huge pile of waste, dressed in nothing but his red sneakers, his boxers, and a whole shower of sweat, and letting out an effective victory scream, which was followed by another. "RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHH!"

"Quite the site, isn't it?" Garrick turned sharply to see Jukei in his hero costume, a skin tight black bodysuit with for parallel lines running down the torso and matching lines down each limb, and a luchador-style face mask. He had bracers on his arms and legs with spikes on the underside that could be driven into his skin with the handles in the fingers of his gloves. He walked up next to the skinny man and looked on as his successor let out his resounding yells. "I'm glad I trained him so hard. This may just be his greatest in-training achievement yet."

Garrick barely registered the other pro's words as he moved closer in to the beach to inspect his disciple's handiwork. "Hey, hey, hey! Holy crap kid! You cleared out the entire area like I told you too in just two months! Not only that, you cleaned up outside where I told you! And with a whopping 8 months to spare! You've blown my expectations out of the water! Oh my… oh my… GOODNESS!" (A/N: God, I love it when he does that :D)

Izuku, exhausted from the hellish non-stop exercise, began to wobble slightly, before falling off his perch altogether. Before he could hit the ground, All Might caught him. "Excellent work, young Midoriya!"

"Heh, *Pant* look, All Might." A fatigued Izuku looked up at his idol, and smiled. "I cleaned up *Pant* the beach, just like you told *Pant* me too. I think I'm ready now." Since Izuku had been so focused on his strength training, His masters had worked together to reschedule his training for everything else in such a way that he would not backpedal on anything else. Fortunately, eating and sleeping had not been altered … to their knowledge. Izuku had actually stayed up on nights because he still had stamina left over, since that was focused on that so much more beforehand. He knew he'd need as much time as possible to train actually using One for All's power. And it had payed off phenomenally.

"Yeah, you did good kid." All Might said, pacing a large hand on his shoulder, causing him to tremble. He pointed to the large pile of trash that had yet to be taken to the dump. "Look at how far you've come! At this rate, you may have full power under your belt before you graduate!"

"And on top of that," The first mentor pointed out, walking up to the two of them, "The exercise has done you a damn lotta good."

Indeed it had. Izuku was now 5' 7", and his lean muscles were pretty fully developed. His biceps looked like they could have been hiding bronze under his skin. His 8-pack abs could have been mistaken for well-polished rocks. And in spite of his narrow hips, you could not be fooled from the power he held in his legs. His thighs were stuffed thick with muscle, and he had shapely calves to compliment them nicely.

"Well then," Jukei nudged All Might's gut, "let's not keep him waiting. Let the transfer begin."

"Quite right." All Might Immediately plucked a hair from off of his head. "You've worked hard, Young Midoriya. Now let the fruits of your labor take bloom."

With anticipation for the mantle that he would bear, Izuku held out his quirkless hands, and grabbed the future …

"Eat this!"

…

…

…

"Huh?"

"In order to inherit One for All, you must take in the DNA of the previous user."

"That's gross." Jukei muttered off from the side.

"Ah." Izuku responded a little shakily. He reached out and grabbed the strand of hair. "I get it. It's just… different from what I expected." Powering through any apprehension he had, Izuku swallowed the strand of All Might-hair. It tasted really sour for some reason. After bitterly swallowing, he took a deep breath. "Okay," he said, "What now?"

"Well, you don't expect it to be like flipping a switch, do you, my boy? You have to wait for it to digest!"

Jukei was more than a little skeptical "Riiiiight…"

Izuku was far more open-minded. "That … sort of makes sense. I mean, if we're ingesting it, it's only natural."

Jukei decided to ask an important question. "So … what do we do until then?"

"Ah!" Izuku then remembered something he had to do, something that would definitely be harder than even cleaning up every beach in Japan. "All Might, I have to know. You said this power is a secret, but you never told me: Who else knows?"

"Hmm?" The titanic hero quickly returned to his scrawny form as he considered question. "Well, not many. Just a former sidekick of mine. You might have heard of him. The Forethoughtful Hero: Sir Nighteye?"

Izuku looked like he was about to jump straight up and never come back down. "Have I heard of him?" He's the only hero to have ever been your sidekick here in Japan, regardless of your rule against taking up sidekicks anywhere! I thought they were just rumors, little stories scattered across the internet to instill shock and awe! His agency specializes in surveillance, as opposed to most agencies which take up more active roles such as combat or rescue operations. But I know almost know anything about Sir Nighteye himself. I don't know his skills, or his quirk, or even what he looks like! He's even more low profile than Era-…"

"OKAY, so that's a yes." Garrick quickly cut Izuku off before he got too deep into it. "Anyway, he knows, but we haven't been in contact for quite some time. When I became weakened, we had a… disagreement over my next course of action." Izuku wanted to know what could have happened between them, but knew better than to ask. "But I doubt he'll blab to anyone. There are people at U.A. who know, the principle and the nurse. I have a very close friend in the local police force who knows. There are a handful of other people who know my secret, scattered across the world. And then… there's… my… mentor." Without meaning to, the gaunt man began shaking something fierce.

"Oh? All Might's Mentor?" Izuku's curiosity got the better of him. "What was this person like?"

He was sweating bullets now. "Oh… y-y-y-you know… He was j-…" he could stop shaking anytime now, "j-just … your run-of-the-m-m-mill… homeroom teacher…" stop shaking already, "but since I learned how to c-c-c-c-control One f-for All at the s-s-s-start," no seriously, stop, "it was all c-combat training for me, hehehehe."

"Woah!" Jukei commented. "Sounds like a beast! Although if he was a teacher while you were in high school, he's got to be fairly old now. Whatever, I still like him"

He seemed to be oblivious to how terrified All Might, freaking All Might, was trembling in fear at the thought of an old master who had to be way too decrepit to fight now. Izuku was not.

"Well, yes… but n-n-never underestimate the e-e-elderly. T-T-T-T-T-They l-l-leave q-q-q-quite the impressionnnnnnnnnn … damn it, legs! Stop shaking!"

Izuku was suddenly shaking with him. How bad is this guy? "Was such a person ever really allowed to hold One for All?!"

Suddenly, All Might stopped shaking. His expression was no longer traumatized, but one of grim remembrance. "No." He answered firmly "He was… simply put in charge of training me, after the previous user… died."

Jukei's eyes widened at this.

"Oh." Izuku put a hand over his mouth "I'm… wow. I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's no big deal." The world's number 1 hero responded, looking of in remembrance. "I got over it years ago. I'll only ever be regretful if I can't live to see the world we had worked so hard to make a reality."

Izuku wouldn't pretend to completely understand. He didn't know what kind of world they worked towards, but …

"I'll help you build it if I can, All Might-sensei."

The man turned towards him, and smirked. "I told you to call me Garrick Lamont, kid. What would happen if some strangers came along and found you addressing some bony old man in loose fitting clothes as the world's #1 hero?"

"Ah! You're right, I'm so sorry! But you're not an old man All Mi-… Mr. Lamont."

"Eh, faltering, but that's beside the point Now…" He suddenly turned serious, as if he didn't already look it. "Why did you ask me about the people who knew my secret, young man? Who do you want to tell?"

From the side, Jukei's gaze turned to his first student unblinkingly. He'd been keeping an eye on him for ten years now. He knew Izuku would want to tell his friends. The only reason Jukei himself knew anything was because he just so happened to be with Izuku at every point that All Might had. Would he even have allowed him to know otherwise, regardless of his status as Izuku's mentor? What would All Might allow?

Izuku swallowed a small lump in his throat. He knew what he was about to ask. He was asking his idol, someone whose closely-guarded secret had world harmony in the balance, to trust a couple of children he'd never met with that very same secret.

But he didn't want to hide anything from them. They'd been through too much together to keep secrets from each other like that. They had known each other for years, never breaking contact with each other, even if one of them moved, or they suddenly stopped hanging out because of an emergency the rest hadn't heard about.

He didn't want to lose those friendships, just because they thought he couldn't trust them.

It is with these thoughts that he then calmly spoke. "Mr. Lamont, have you ever had friends so close to you that you could never keep anything from them, no matter how important it was?"

Garrick's eyes widened at this. Apparently whatever friends this young man had he had formed very strong bonds with them indeed. "My police friend I told you about? It didn't matter that he was a law enforcer. We had known each other long before then. He was with me when I had made my decision to become a hero. I wanted to create a world where everyone could live together in harmony, even though I was quirkless." Izuku gasped in shock at this. The scrawny man smirked. "That's right, my predecessor gave their quirk to a completely powerless kid. But even before then, he supported me all the way. He went onto become a SWAT officer, hoping to support me however he could, in however a small way." He looked up to the sky. "I didn't think there was anyone at the time who had ever stuck their neck out for me like he did." He looked back at Izuku, who looked at him in awe. "I can firmly say, young man, that I have indeed known companions of that caliber."

"I have four. I've known them since I was six, and we've all been working together towards our futures ever since." Izuku knew why he wasn't allowed to tell his mother or father, not that it would stop him. They were civilians. They weren't pro heroes, they weren't sidekicks, and they certainly weren't hero students. They were vulnerable, targets, if anyone wanted information on "All Might's secret Quirk." But his friends… they were stronger than anyone their age that he had met. They could handle themselves. And it wasn't like they wouldn't eventually figure it out anyway, especially Tsucchan. She was the smartest of them, scarily observant, and – and this was the most dangerous factor – in a relationship with him. He would not keep any secrets from any girls named Tsuyu Asui who held that distinction. They had been dating for eight months, counting these past two strenuous periods of time he had been strength training. They had spent time in private, held hands, kissed…

God, he thought, blushing, he still remembered the first time they did it. It was awkward, even for a first kiss, considering she technically didn't have any lips. And there was the clicking of teeth, to be sure, but fortunately they could avoid the bumping of noses, since hers was more of a snout. But it was still so mind numbing that they didn't back away for what felt like several minutes. Their next few kisses would be similarly inexperienced. But they were both learners at heart, even when it came to a subject as embarrassing as romance. Eventually, they could kiss without too much struggle, they weren't too embarrassed to be close to one another. And then making out … Izuku shuddered, but not with displeasure. They had only done it a handful of times, but that made them more special.

Needless to say, they had already shared too much for him to hide something from her. Even something – especially something – of this magnitude. "I can tell you they wouldn't go off and tell anyone, and if I don't tell them, they could very well figure it out. Mina is extremely chatty, but she can definitely keep a secret, and she wouldn't betray us under any circumstances. Eijiro is my best friend. He's got a will as strong as his body when he uses his Quirk, probably stronger. Fumikage hardly talks anyway, and he never says anything that shouldn't be said. Tsuyu is…" He paused at this, because he needed to breathe deeply, and say the next thing he would say very calmly, so that All Might knew he was aware of his next words and their implications.

"Tsucchan is highly perceptive, maybe even more than me. She knew I was hiding something when I told her I would be doing this… alternate form of training." The scrawny symbol of peace raised an eyebrow at this. He wouldn't mind meeting this girl. "Also… we've kind of… been… dating." All Might's other eyebrow joined its twin in its raised state. "I know… I know there's always that lingering chance that a relationship doesn't work out. But… It's been six months, and I… I can firmly say that…" he felt his face heating up, but he would not be deterred. "…I really, really, really, really, really, really like her, and if I don't tell her the truth, all of the truth, and nothing but the truth like she knows I haven't… there's a good chance she'll strangle me, and not with affection."

Off to the side, Jukei covered up a snort of laughter, knowing that Izuku was most likely correct.

Meanwhile, All Might was beside himself! Was he really entertaining the idea of adding a whopping 4 people to the small list of those who knew about his powers? Well, the lad pretty much filled out the questions he would have had with the required answers.

He trusted them.

He trusted them with his life.

He valued their friendships.

He had put serious thought into this.

In the end, it would lay upon him, the ninth inheritor of One for All, to decide who knew about it, and who didn't. It would be his own burden to choose who he could and could not trust.

"Only them." He spoke, his voice firm and uncompromising. "And anything I have yet to tell you now will not be for them to hear later."

Izuku beamed. "Yes sir!"

The gaunt Number 1 hero sighed. "Every day I have less time and less power to perform hero duties. As I told you I barely have three hours. Before long the whole world will know anyway, and I won't be able to use one for all at all. You said your friends were going to be hero's? I can only assume they are going to U.A. high, same as you. Perhaps it is better that someone else in your class know as well less damage than if someone on the outside knew." He sighed again. "To be honest, I am not really sure I can trust them with this secret as you feel you can, but if I can't trust my protégé, then what kind of teacher am I?"

Jukei quickly inserted himself into the conversation. "Well, that's great and all, but for all we know we still have between one or two hours before he can test his power."

"Indeed." All Might agreed. He suddenly wore a very devious grin. "Say, young Midoriya. I seem to recall telling you to take the garbage all the way to the dump. What's this enormous pile doing here?"

Izuku huffed, but began to get to work on the remaining pile in the lot.

---

Several Hours Later

UA High, Loading Bay

All Might had decided it would be best not to test Izuku's power on the beach where everyone could see it.

As such, and much to Izuku's excitement, it was agreed that the three of them would travel to U.A. to train Izuku's quirk.

'Train Izuku's quirk.' In another time those words might have lost their luster, if not for the fact that he was training with the greatest Quirk in the world belonging to the greatest hero in the world. Izuku was trying very hard not to jump into the sky in excitement. With the power he could now currently feel at his disposal, he could likely do it too.

And they were going to U.A. to do it.!

Had he been less excited he would have noted they were entering through the loading bay and not the front gates.

Speaking of the power he now wielded, he could feel One for All coursing beneath his skin. Against his will he felt more than ready, eager, to use his earned powers, but All Might had warned him of the way such power could affect him. If he tried to use full power without the necessary training, it could destroy his body, breaking bones and bruising every inch of flesh. That was before the intense training of hauling an entire beach of garbage nonstop. Even now, he was still afraid to break his body with the slightest move. He remembered what All Might had advised as a method of activating his new quirk.

Think of it as a storm of energy surging throughout your entire body. Suddenly, you will find yourself hitting, running, jumping, and enduring on an entirely new level. Rocks will feel like styrofoam, punches will feel more like flicks, and when you are ready to unleash the power within you, just clench up your buttcheeks, and yell this from the depths-

That was as far as he had gotten before Izuku realized he was reliving his own use of it. The rest, fortunately, made sense.

Entering the loading bay, they came to a wooden-looking door , on which a powered-down Garrick knocked. Answering from the other side was a small white rodent in a business suit and with a scar on his right eye, who All Might recognized immediately.

"Ah, good to see you, Nedzu sir!"

"That's me." The well-dressed animal said. "The one who might be a dog, or a bear, or a mouse..."

Wait, Izuku thought, this man knows All Might's true form? And he works here at U.A.?

"But the only important thing is..."

That would make him either the nurse or...

"I'm the principal!"

"EEEHHH?!" Izuku could not hide his shock. He turned to Garrick. "He's the principal?! But I've never heard of a hero like him!"

Garrick turned to look at his successor. "That's because Mr. Nedzu doesn't do work as a hero; at least, not in the traditional sense. He spends the majority of the time here at the school, managing the education of future heroes."

"Quite right," The animal educator said, putting a paw to his cheek, "I'm not really suited for fieldwork anyway. Even with my intellect, I would do more damage than I would prevent." Izuku couldn't help but wonder what kind of quirk this mouse - definitely a mouse - had that he could cause too much damage to do hero work. Said rodent turned his attention to the young inheritor. "You must be Midoriya Izuku. I'm ever so excited to meet you in person." He said, taking Izuku's hand into a handshake.

"It's nice to meet you, sir." Izuku said, unsure of what to think.

Nedzu then turned his attention to Jukei, who had never before seen him and was now staring at him incredulously. Realizing Nedzu was looking at him expectantly, he quickly introduced himself. "Uh..."

"Ah! You must be the Backlash Hero, Penance." He said, surprising the hero in question. "I've read your file! You must be young Midoriya's original teacher All Might told me of."

"...Yes..." He really wasn't sure what else to say.

"Well," Nedzu said, "I think we've exchanged pleasantries sufficiently. Let's get to training your use of One for All."

With that, they went through the door, heading down a thin corridor leading ... somewhere, where they would train his quirk.

There it was again, whenever he or someone else said that! That feeling! He finally got to know what it felt like to have one. How could that not excite him!?

Eventually, surfaces of dirt and grime gave way to white polished tiles, and before he knew it, they were standing in a white metal area the size of a ballroom. Of to the side was a single door, and what looked like an observational chamber up above, identified by a two-way window, where several chairs could be seen, one occupied by a small old lady who wore a doctor's uniform with yellow and red vest-like designs on either side, two yellow buttons, and a pink belt. and yellow gloves. Her hair was tied in a bun and her eyes, hid behind a visor-like helmet of some kind, were small and beady.

Nedzu spoke. "Welcome to the All Room, a secret area on the U.A. High campus built specifically for beginners in training for use of One for All. The walls here are made with the same metals built to survive nuclear war!"

Izuku gaped slightly. They built a room this big just to train a single student? Were they trying that hard to keep a secret? Considering how strong they claimed the walls to be, it was most likely. It was enough that they wouldn't have to worry about breaking through any other walls and garnering some unwanted attention.

"Mr. Penance," Nedzu said, "follow me to the survey chamber. Mr. Midoriya and All Might will be the only ones who can hope to survive the sheer force of their own quirks."

Jukei disagreed. "Actually sir, I want to be at the ready for when Izuku is able to properly use his ... inherited quirk to fight. I want to see how strong he is. Who knows?" He slammed a fist into his palm. "It might be the first time he makes it hard to take him down."

The principal stared at him unreadably for a moment, then ... "Very well then, stand by for combat testing." With that, he headed through the door, straight to the room above.

All Might, for his part, was taken aback by Jukei's certainty that he would figure out how to use One for All before he even left. Not that he doubted his intelligence. The young man was more than just a little bright to be sure. He had gotten a small glance at the hero analysis book while the boy was unconscious, and his profiling was intimidating. He even managed to use a poison-based weapon on a gelatinous opponent by aiming for a more solid part of him that most people wouldn't pay too much mind to. He was full of surprises.

"So," Izuku said, turning to his newer mentor. "Where's the training dummy?"

The gaunt man simply smirked at him, before switching to his super form. "Who're you calling dummy?"

The other pro hero and the student gaped at him, before the former responded.

"I'm sorry … are you saying you want him to hit you with a power that could potentially blow a man to fucking pieces?!"

"I do not believe I stuttered." The large hero said, pounding his chest with one fist. "Besides, I'll have you remember I am no ordinary man."

Izuku decided to add his input. "But what would punching you do that a training dummy wouldn't?"

"I'm glad you asked." The symbol of peace admitted. "You see, I was able to control 100% of one for all from the beginning, but my predecessor had broken both her arms with her first use, even after her own intense training. Even though I was able to use all of it, she still gave me the necessary advice to pass on to my own successor:"

"Make sure they use it on a real person."

"Huh?!" A young Garrick Lamont looked at his teacher, Nana Shimura, incredulously. "But all that power… I could very well kill someone!"

"That's what I thought too." Nana told him. "But the first time I actually used it on a person, not only did they not die, I suddenly found I could use part of One for All without any visible strain. It led me to a theory that, like all human functions, One for All can be influenced by instinct."

"Eh?"

"Think of it like this: When using the immense power One for All has stored away on another living creature for the first time, they have this instinctive thought that they don't want to kill that person. One for All responds to this thought by pulling back on it's power…"

"…And bringing it to the level at which they can control it." All Might finished. "The idea is that you'll get a hold of this lower power setting until you can use it at will. We will train until you can properly use One for All."

"Okay…" Izuku got into a fighting stance as he attempted to activate One for All, remembering what All Might had told him. A storm of energy… he thought, concentrating on the feeling. He suddenly felt the power coursing through him. Throughout my body. So focused was he on harnessing the power, that he did not notice the glow of power his body was giving of, as electricity seemed to dance across his skin. He jumped up, raised his fist…

And then he punched All Might.

As the resulting gale-force wind pressure caused Jukei to stumble, All might shifted back unnoticeably, and Izuku's arm didn't break. It simply bounced off of All Might's torso. He landed straight in front of All Might, looking down at his unbroken, but power-infused arm. This…this was incredible! It was strength like no other, and now it was his. He couldn't use all of it, but even the smallest bit, he felt… he was one step closer to becoming the best hero!

"Don't stop now, young Midoriya." All Might said. "The power output is definitely lower than 100%, but you must get used to the feeling! Hit me again!"

Dozens of punches later, Izuku's hands felt sore. He had finally found he could use a fraction of the power without hurting himself. Now, there he stood, his body crackling with energy, ready to put this power to a more… practical test.

"Alright." Jukei said. "Now that we've got this control business out of the way, it's time for combat training." He slipped into a stance. He crouched slightly and raised his fists to his front. "I hope your ready, Izuku. This new power of yours just means I'll have to try a little harder to take you down!" He then rushed at Izuku, his right hand reeled back in a punch. All Might, deciding he was right, had jumped back to give them space.

But Izuku was more than prepared. Jukei would often begin a sparring session out of the blue, to keep Izuku vigilant and alert. The first time he did this, he sent Izuku into a tree. His mother had read him the riot act while the green-haired teen was sitting in a medical bed with his left arm in a cast. Izuku leapt straight up. Jukei leapt straight after him, preparing a left kick to the side. Izuku tanked the blow head-on, and then grabbed the leg pressing into his side. The teen then reeled his feet back as fast as he could, and slammed them straight into Jukei's midsection, before twisting his body, so that his back was to Jukei, and throwing him over his shoulder. Unprepared for this move, Jukei simply fell to the ground several feet beneath the two of them.

Above, Izuku raised his fist into a punch, and then slammed his fist into… the floor. Jukei appeared to his left and punched him in the head. Izuku rolled a short distance, before quickly getting to his feet, and intercepting an uppercut by flipping backwards. He then found himself exchanging a flurry of blows with Jukei.

"What's wrong, Izuku?!" Jukei taunted. "Getting sleepy?"

"Yeah," the freckled boy retorted, "I spent a little too much time with your mom!"

"Oh that does it!" Jukei threw a punch so quick Izuku couldn't block, and it landed on Izuku's right cheek. The green haired inheritor bounced several times before he landed on his feet, and just barely avoided getting headache punched by ducking under him. He took the opportunity to slam both his fists into his fighting Mentors gut. Stunned momentarily, Jukei was open to several more gut punches before Izuku switched targets and smashed Jukei in the face, causing his cheek to cave in. Jukei stumbled slightly, and Izuku aimed a vicious kick to his right kneecap, bending it backwards. All Might was shocked by this action, but suspected that there was a reason Izuku had knowingly crippled his teacher in what was supposed to just be a simple spar. Izuku took the opportunity to pick Jukei up by the other arm, swing him around, and then throw him several meters away.

Feeling the spar had come to an end, All Might stepped in. "Was it really necessary to break him like that, young Midoriya? Now he'll have to recuperate before he can go on patrols."

"He won't be the one recuperating, All Might." Izuku said, not taking his eyes off of where Jukei was laying down. He suddenly noticed just how nervous Izuku looked, like he was prepared to receive a whipping. "This spar isn't over just yet."

Suddenly, Jukei stood back up, his busted kneecap apparently no longer an issue, and the bruises he'd had quickly fading. A feral grin was stretched across his features. "Not bad, Izuku." He said, popping his knuckles. "You managed to do some serious damage." Suddenly, a bright red glow began to cover his arms, and was stretching across his torso under his shirt. "Now … It's time to receive your punishment!"

[Jukei Ikinuku]

[Quirk(s): Hyper-heal, Pain Stock]

[With one Quirk, he can heal any injury, including broken bones and severed limbs. With the other, all the damage he accumulates over the course of a fight is added to his own strength.]

Jukei moved.

Izuku was unable to dodge, and did a poor job blocking, as Jukei placed a fist deep in his gut. His durability was not increased nearly enough to keep that from hurting. Jukei quickly followed up with a left hook, and he grabbed Izuku by his legs, threw him up into the air, and followed up with a jump far higher than what he was previously capable of. He appeared above Izuku, who crossed his arms trying to block, but was unable to keep the following straight kick from sending him straight into the metal floor below, shaping the floor with a small crater.

Jukei stood above Izuku as he writhed at the pain of the stinging metal floors. Clearly his apprentice was unable to continue. Something was very likely broken.

All Might appeared next to him. "…Was that really necessary?"

"I had to release the energy built up from all those blows or I would have been unable to control it the longer I held it in. I might have been holding a person, and ended up spontaneously breaking their backs as if it was a knee-jerk reaction."

"Ah, I see." All Might understood, as he deflated. "Does this often happen?"

"Not really, just when he and my other students manage to get a number of hits in."

"These, other students," All Might ventured, "I suspect they are the friends to whom Izuku wishes to expose the secret of One for All to?"

"They are indeed." Jukei confirmed, smiling.

Garrick threw him a look. "I hope he knows what he's doing by telling them."

"You mean like Mr. Punishment Hero here did when he hit his student with that kind of power?" Came a snarky reply from an aged woman's voice. The two of them turned to see the old woman from the observation chamber walking towards them, with Principal Nedzu close behind her. Walking passed the two heroes, she turned her attention straight to Izuku, who was trying hard to hold still, since his back had been broken upon the impact. She did not kneel down to observe his injuries, she didn't even turn him over to confirm that any were on his back; instead, her lips extended out towards him, and she planted her lips on his forehead.

*Chu*

For a moment, a green glow surrounded Izuku, and he suddenly found he could move again. However, as soon as he got up, he was exhausted.

"My quirk stimulates the body's ability to heal," The woman elaborated, "but healing takes energy. Thank goodness your injuries weren't more severe, dearie, or you could have died."

Izuku paled. "Thanks for that thought."

"What a successful test this has turned out to be." Principal Nedzu chirped. "But I think that Mr. Midoriya is currently incapable of fighting any more for today. Take him home and let us continue tomorrow."

Suddenly, Jukei got an Idea. "Actually sir, I'm going to train Izuku on the beach Izuku cleaned up as part of his training. Since he's able to properly fight with his quirk, we can spar publicly without any one wondering why he injures himself with his own Quirk, and I wouldn't mind making that a personal sparring ground for us.

"Well," the principle stroked his chin thoughtfully, "I suppose I could be lenient and allow him to train elsewhere until it's time for the U.A. Entrance exam. But be warned, if his control happens to slip, it will be quite clear he cannot handle it's power on his own, and we'll have to keep him here until he can."

"Understood, sir." With that, he picked up Izuku and slung him over his shoulder, and he and Garrick headed out of the facility. Unbeknownst to All Might, Jukei was secretly getting out his phone an sending an email to four particular contacts.

---

July 3rd, A Week Later

Tagoba Municipal Beach

Laying on the sand, a towel beneath him, the sun high in the sky, and in a pair of trunks, Izuku was feeling just a little bit frustrated. Jukei, in civilian clothing of sandals, a jean jacket with a red shirt and khaki shorts, was laying next to him after their intense sparring session. Once he had gotten used to the feeling of using One for All, All Might had been able to determine, through his connection via the transmission of One for All, that Izuku could use... one percent without strain. Izuku was admittedly a little bit distressed, but he could only offer that he allow One for All ample time to fully awaken. Izuku wasn't sure what he meant, but he felt there was more to his quirk than his new teacher was willing to tell him.

"Okay, let's get back to it!" He suddenly said, jumping straight back to his feet.

From beside him, his teacher was surprised. "Already? It's barely been five minutes. I thought you'd need more time, even with the extra energy."

Izuku paused, realizing that Jukei was right. Even with the virtually unlimited energy supplied by One for All, he still got exhausted, though it took way longer than usual, a total of three hours, to be exact. This was not the first time this had happened. Just yesterday, an exhausted Izuku had accidently touched a frayed wire connecting his computer, and suddenly felt the urge to go on a long jog. But he just felt ready, like he had suddenly … recharged. "I… don't know sir. I just feel ready, like I've suddenly got all my energy back. I feel like… sitting here under the sun has somehow given me all the energy I need."

Suddenly, All Might was behind them in civilian clothing. "I AM HERE, TO EXPLAIN!" Student and master jumped several feet into the air before turning to see All Might behind them. "You see, there is something else I think it's time I explained about One for All."

"Why tell us now instead of later?!" Jukei yelled exasperatedly.

"Because I wanted you to feel it firsthand." Garrick responded. "You see, One for All doesn't just store up the combined physical prowess of all it's users; it also stockpiles their quirks."

Izuku's eyes widened at this. "What?!"

"You see, the reason they were even able to use One for All is because that bit of DNA they get from past users is not simply digested: it performs a merger with them, melding into their very beings, and improving them beyond the added strength. This is because, since the energy is meant to enhance it could, let's say, fix 'broken' individuals."

Now Izuku was just confused.

"For example, a supposedly quirkless person could, could, have a quirk 'awakened' from within them based on what their parents had. If you remember, I was originally quirkless before receiving One for All. When 'my' quirk awakened, I suddenly found I could transform into the form that you see before you, which people have associated with the symbol of peace." Izuku's eyes widened even further. "Don't look so surprised. I did it to keep from being associated with the other users, since none of them could do it."

That made sense to Izuku. How else did the previous users of One for All escape comparison? They must have used their powers differently from one another. But that reminded Izuku…

"Wait, you mean I have eight quirks in my body?!"

"Nine quirks, young man, including whatever will awaken within you."

Izuku sat down on the sand. He had nine quirks now! And one of them would be one that could have hypothetically been his! This was insane! But…

"Wait, you said one of the quirks was responsible for me being recharged so quickly. Which one?"

Garrick cupped his chin. "In theory, the fact that it appeared second, before One for All itself, means it belonged to the second user. The name of that Quirk is Power Spark, and it allows the user to absorb any kind of energy in small doses." He pointed to the blinding celestial body in the sky. "By sitting in the sunlight, you absorbed solar energy. When you were fighting beforehand, having the enhancing power of One for All, even at just one percent, increased the amount of energy you could absorb, and it allowed you to go on fighting for even longer."

"That explains it." Izuku said. "Just yesterday, I had accidentally touched a frayed cable on my computer, and I suddenly went from exhausted to pumped up, even though I still ended up getting a third-degree burn."

"Allow me to be clear." Garrick said. "You can absorb larger amounts with power spark, but it will be more painful the more you absorb beyond your limit. And you cannot project the energy you have absorbed. Believe me, I tried."

Izuku paused at that. The implications of that one quirk were nothing to scoff at. While doing hero work on sunnier days when he would be more easily exhausted, the sun would simultaneously be wearing him out and giving him energy, though he had yet to figure out which it leaned more towards. Combine that with the virtually unlimited energy of One for All, which would simultaneously increase the amount of energy he could absorb without backlash, he could probably continue on without rest for hours! Staying up for days was out of the question; sleep was an essential biological process. "So, what about the other quirks?"

"Actually, I think I'll save that whole bit for when I explain to your very reliable friends who are training to be heroes that their oh-so valued friend has inherited my quirk, and that it is his mission to become the new symbol of peace, and keep the worst of villains at bay." All Might was hoping that his point about the magnitude of this secret had gotten across to him, but he didn't seem visibly worried. He figured doing it as a reminder of their little talk would shake him a bit more.

"That's actually a pretty good idea. Okay, we'll wait for them."

Or maybe he was dealing with it just fine. That was good too.

Jukei smirked. That talk was going to be sooner than they thought.

"HEY IZUKU!"

Suddenly, the three of them jumped in surprise upon hearing Eijiro's call from the entrance to the beach. They turned to see Izuku's aforementioned group of companions standing at the top of the stairs. Eijiro was dumbstruck, with his mouth hanging open and his arms hanging at his sides. Mina looked like she was ready to spontaneously combust in excitement, bouncing up and down. Fumikage's eyes were widened to their limit as he stood there. Tsuyu, ever cool-headed and unperturbed, was holding her mouth open in shock! And her hands, usually held out in front of her, were hanging much lower than she normally had them. And all of them were looking. Straight. At. All. Might.

See what I meant earlier?

Izuku suddenly found himself tackled by a tan blur with a bit of red. Three times in less than three months. What happened? Oh, Eijiro was on top of him. And he was yelling something at Izuku, throttling him by his shoulders. Let's tune back in.

"WHAT THE HELL, MAN?! YOU NEVER SAID YOU WERE TRAINING WITH ALL MIGHT, THE HERO-EST HERO EVER! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US?! THAT WAS SO NOT MANLY! WAIT, WAS THAT THE SECRET TSUYU-CHAN SAID YOU WERE KEEPING FROM US?! I'M CONFUSED! WHY AM I STILL YELLING?!"

All Might and Jukei beheld the spectacle before with great bemusement as Mina, Fumikage, and Tsuyu made their way towards the group.

Izuku had had quite enough of being throttled and tried to calm down his irate friend. "Eicchan! EICCHAN CALM DOWN! I promise to explain everything once you stop freaking out.

Eijiro let go and helped his friend get off the ground. His frustration slowly replaced with excitement "Sorry about that, man. Seriously though, what's this about?! Is All Might the guy you said was your other trainer! That's awesome! You're so lucky, catching the man among heroes' attention!" Before he was able to continue, Mina suddenly practically teleported over to All Might, looking the man over as if to confirm he was real before placing herself in front of him, a pink flurry of excitement and questions.

"OH MY GOD YOU REALLY ARE ALL MIGHT! WHEN DID YOU GET TO JAPAN?! ARE YOU STAYING THAT WOULD BE SO AWESOME! ARE YOU TEACHING IZUKU?! CAN I PLLLLEEEEEEEAAAASSE HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH?!" She then turned to grab her green-haired crush by his shoulders and shake him at a sickening pace. "IZU WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE HANGING OUT WITH THE BEST HERO EVER?! SO NOT FAIR!"

"M-Mina! I'll tell you if you stop throttling me! Follow Eicchan's lead!"

Mina huffed at his. Reluctantly, she let go and stepped back. As soon as she did, though, she looked at Izuku, and realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. Beside her, Tsuyu had already started staring.

"Anyway, what are you guys… doing… here?"

This did not escape Izuku's notice. And why wouldn't they stare? Before them was a boy they had been fond of for quite a while, growing into a young man and in nothing but swimming trunks. And boy was it a sight! They trained to together enough that they had seen a fair amount of one another. But this? His glistening torso was a sight to behold! His legs looked like they were going to just tear the skin open with all the lean muscle he had put on! Seeing his shoulders shift with each breathe he drew in was tantalizing. His abs stretching as he took the breath into his stomach was drool-worthy.

Holy shit! When did their mutual crush get so hot?!

With the passing of a few second, Izuku realized that they were staring. Tsuyu, with her characteristic blank look, had her cheeks overtaken in a lovely rosy red. Mina was practically drooling, and her cheeks were dusted with lilac. He looked down, and remembered he wasn't wearing a shirt. He blushed as he tried to speak.

"Ah! I'm sorry! Sensei, could I please put a shirt on?" Getting a nod and a chuckle, Izuku ran off for a moment. A minute later, they were all standing there, Izuku having gotten a shirt on, and still rather red. Eijiro and Fumikage chuckled at his embarrassment, the girls were still blushing a little too, and All Might sweat dropped in the midst of it all.

"So," Izuku said, fighting off his blush, "when did you guys decide to come to the beach?"

"Eh?!" Eijiro looked at him in confusion. "Didn't Sensei tell you? He'd told us a week ago that we were all gonna head to the beach next week, and that we could take it easy on training until then." He looked over to All Might. "I wasn't expecting a surprise like this."

Jukei looked to the hero in question, who glanced at him and then nodded. Oh. So he'd planned this, and didn't even tell him. That was okay. He turned to face his friends. He'd supposed he'd held this off for too long. He should have gone to tell them the day after he'd been given the power. Maybe Jukei had tried giving him that week to think about his decision. He appreciated it if that was the case, but he'd already made his decision.

He turned to All Might. "All Might sir, these are my friends." He gestured to Mina. "This is Ashido Mina." He then turned to Eijiro "And this is Kirishima Eijiro." He then looked over to Fumikage. "This is my very good friend Tokoyami Fumikage." Izuku then turned to Tsuyu, who was looking at Izuku expectantly. "And this is my girlfriend, Asui Tsuyu. She's been… the most insistent to meet you."

This confused the girl in question. Then it clicked. What he needed to tell them involved All Might. Tsuyu wanted to know the most. Knowing would require they meet All Might. That and she did sort of want to meet the Number One Hero in person. Izuku looked up to him, after all. Maybe she would learn why exactly. She turned to Izuku, who looked back at her. "Izuku?" She said. "I think we've waited long enough. I've waited long enough. Tell us. Now."

Putting on a solemn expression, Izuku nodded. "Okay. But guys, I need to tell you now. You cannot, under any circumstances – even if we eventually go our separate ways – tell anyone a word of what you hear, at any time, in any place. Not your parents, not your siblings, not any new friends you make, not a hero you meet on the street – no one." They all nodded, completely understanding. Behind them, Jukei sent All Might a look that said "See?" and was ignored. "And I'm not asking for me." He clarified. "I'm asking for All Might."

Before any of them could ask what he was talking about, the inheritor turned to All Might, walked towards him, and silently asked him to reveal himself. Apprehensively the large man complied. Suddenly, a poof of smoke appeared around the hero, and the group was appropriately startled. After a minute or so, the smoke quickly cleared away, and the children were presented the sight of an abnormally scrawny man, who's clothes hung off of his body. His mouth seemed to be set in a sort of a tight-lipped grimace, and the skin around his eyes were shadowed over, and absent of any eyebrows. But his eyes, his eyes, were filled with a fire, one that it seemed would never go out.

For what seemed like hours, nothing was said. It was Tsuyu who managed to break the silence. "Izuku…" She sounded more nervous than Izuku had heard her in her entire life. "What happened to All Might?"

Izuku took note that she did not deny it was All Might. Good. He didn't want to have a repeat of the first time he met him. But for an instant, just an instant, he hesitated, conflicted about what he was about to do. But he pushed it down the instant after that. They would be able to handle it. They had each other to lean on, if not. "He…" He was looking for a way to properly describe it "… powered down. This is what he really looks like."

Eijiro and Mina had no idea what to say. They were completely speechless. When they looked at Izuku, they could tell he wasn't kidding. There was no twitching in his lips in an attempt to hold in any laughter, there was no stutter in what he said, no shaking in silent amusement… nothing.

"It's true, young ones." The voice the man spoke in. That was what had confirmed it for them. I was low and raspy. But it belonged to the greatest hero the world had ever been privileged with. They had heard it many times, alongside their green-haired friend. "Young Midoriya is being fully honest with all of you."

Fumikage was the one to speak, oddly enough. "But … how? I … what … what happened?"

"Like I said, nothing you hear can be repeated anywhere else to anyone else."

Izuku and All Might explained everything. The true nature of All Might's quirk, his crippled current power, how he came to choose Izuku as his successor, the training they had been doing for the past two months, Izuku's sudden discovery of having more than one quirk… nothing was left unsaid. Izuku's friends hung on every word in uninterrupted silence. Izuku himself explained how One for All worked; how it could be passed down, how to be able to handle it, and what would happen if he went overboard with it.

At the end of all the explaining, they sat in silence, processing the information in full. Fumikage was wondering if Izuku was being just a bit too trusting with this information, even if it was them. Eijiro was trying his best to not panic at all he had been told, as it hit him just how big a secret he'd been exposed to. Mina was just finding this all waaaaay too much to process. And Tsuyu… was just sitting there contemplatively, all of her previous nervousness having disappeared.

"So…" All Might was now sitting before them, his hands clasped together contemplatively, "Do you have any questions?"

Oh boy, did they.

Fumikage went first. "You are All Might, and this is your true form?"

"Yes."

Next was Mina. "And you used to be quirkless?"

"Yes."

Eijiro Chimed in. "And this… One for All-quirk… can be passed on between people, like how the last person who had it passed it to you, not to mention each person who gets it gets the quirks of past users?."

"Correct."

Tsuyu surprised everyone by being the last one to say anything. "And… you gave this quirk… to Izuku?"

"…I did." He let out a sigh. "I was surprised to find he was so willing to share it with his friends, and so many. I thought he'd ask to tell his parents."

Mina, who had her eyes closed in an attempt to process this load of information, spoke up. "Not in a million years." Mina said. "I don't think Ms. Midoriya's poor little heart could take it." It was mostly a joke.

"But man," Ejiro said, "I can understand why you'd wanna be so tight-lipped about it. I'd probably hesitate to tell any of you guys to." He turned to All Might and threw a reassuring thumbs up. "And don't worry. We won't tell anyone!"

"Your secret is safe with us, All Might sir." Fumikage spoke solemnly.

"Incidentally," Tsuyu spoke up, "Who else knows?"

Garrick allowed himself to let out a sigh of relief he hadn't even known he was holding. "Just two staff Members at U.A., my old mentor, a man on the police force, a few individuals across the globe… and now you." The scratched the back of his head. "Looking at it now, maybe four other people knowing wasn't quite that horribly risky."

"I'm still really confused" Mina confessed. "This is a lot to take in, a whole lot. I might still be trying to understand it years from now, but…" She flashed a blinding smile. "I got it. We won't tell a soul!"

Eijiro held out a tightened fist "You have our word on it, All Might!"

Izuku beamed at his friends. He was grateful they were so cool!

All Might for his part, could not stop the grin that spread across his face. He sincerely hoped they got into. U.A. The school would be so much more fun!

"So…"

"Izuku," Tsuyu started, "we understand. You were under a lot of pressure. I would have done the same."

The group was now heading towards the train station after a long four-on-one sparring session. Izuku was still nervous about having kept a secret from his friends, no matter how big it was. He almost felt stupid, he thought as he smiled. These were the friends he'd had when the whole world around him had left him with only his parents, and a man who, at the time, was a complete stranger. They knew him well enough that they could trust him when he was keeping a secret from them for a good reason.

Their perspective of him hadn't changed in the least. He was still their friend; their confidant; their tenacious, golden-hearted Midoriya Izuku.

"Well I'm glad it's all settled then." He then turned to his friends. "But this won't make training any easier for me, as far as I'm concerned. If anything, I'm gonna work harder now. I'll take the U.A. Exam and pass! More than that, I'll excel! So much so that no one else's score will even come close to mine! And then I'll take on every practical exercise they throw at me, and pass with flying colors! I'll make each new event into another step closer to becoming the greatest hero in history!"

His friends were in awe at his display of drive. In the past they'd heard him talk about it, and he'd been driven in the exercises, to be sure. But the… fire with which he carried those words… it was as if he was laying down the law of the land, and nobody, not even oh-so factual Tsuyu, was willing to dispute with him on it. Not that she disagreed. She could understand where this was coming from. He had always wanted to be the greatest, but now it was his responsibility. In time, people would continue to expect the best from him. Idly, she wondered when the immeasurable pressure of the role would hit him.

Eventually they had made their way to the train station, and now it was just Tsuyu and Mina on the train, alone in the train car. However, neither of them was willing to get off until they had finished their current subject of discussion.

"How…" Mina spoke, "can someone be so cute… and so hot at the SAME GODDAMN TIME!?"

Both were blushing furiously, and even Tsuyu couldn't stop a mix of excitement and self-disappointment from leaking into her voice. "Six months. I've been the bare minimum of intimate with… with…" she couldn't even find words to describe it that would do it justice, "all that for six. Whole. Months?!"

Mina, for not the first time that day, shook a friend by the shoulders. "You get all of that to yourself! So not fair!"

"Glad we could address the issue right off the bat." Tsuyu suddenly said, looking Mina in the eye.

"Wait," this caught Mina off guard, "what?!"

Tsuyu looked at the acid secretor with her usual blank stare as she stated the facts as she understood them. "You still like Izuku."

…

…

"…Pfft! Hah! Good one Tsu! I thought you had no sense of humor!" Mina wasn't fooling anyone, certainly not while she was sweating so profusely.

"I might not." Tsuyu's voice was steady and serious.

Mina knew she had been caught. She didn't want Tsuyu to be upset with her, but she couldn't lie. Tsuyu was a calm girl, she knew very well, but even she had a limit. Either way, the only thing she could do was fess up. "…Okay, fine! I like him! So what? You're his girlfriend!"

"That's exactly what. You know very well he's off limits, yet you're still as touchy-feely with him as before. You may be a flirt, Mina, but even you have limits."

"I…" What was Mina supposed to say that wouldn't sound like she was throwing a pity party for herself (those were the worst kinds of parties). Stressed out immensely, she threw a fit. "I don't know what else to do! A boy I like is going out with my best friend ever! I thought I could get over it! I thought I could be happy for you two! But I'm just … so jealous!" Mina wasn't crying, but the tears threatened to break past her eyes.

"You don't have to be."

"*snort* Really?" Mina's sarcasm was entirely too palpable to be ignored. She didn't think Tsuyu had a real solution. Oh, if she only knew. "How?"

"You could be his girlfriend too."

"…"

Now that got Mina to pause. Was she still speaking to Tsuyu, serious, level-headed, super-smart, frog-girl, super-cute, surprisingly-stacked, best-friend-in-the-whole-wide-world-she-could-ever-ask-for, Asui? She looked over this stranger in front of her. Big eyes: check. Teal hair tied like a bow: check. Tongue sticking slightly out of a large mouth with the cutest snout: check for tongue, check for mouth, and check for snout. Large hands: check. Slouched posture: check. Large… assets that were probably bigger than her own…dammit, Check!

"Wh-what?!" How could she believe that her best friend ever had come up with such an outrageous idea?! That was her job! "Tsuyu, are you feeling okay?

"I've given thought to this, Mina-chan." Tsuyu said. "I was glad Izuku looked me in the eye and said yes, even if it was shaky. But it didn't escape me that you were genuinely hurt that he did."

"So what?" Mina asked. "You won. He finally chose you over me."

"No, Mina. He was glad I like him, for sure, but I was just the one who made the first move. I was surprised it was me being so bold. You usually do that."

"I wanted him to choose." Mina explained. "I wanted him to make the move that would prove he liked me, so I didn't look ridiculous when he turned me down."

Made sense to Tsuyu. The alien-like girl had her pride; she needed to preserve it. But…

"As I said, I've thought about this. There's only one Izuku, and we can't change that. But… we can make the best of the Izuku we have."

"B-but Tsu, he's your boyfriend! And if he's as good of one as he's been there's no way he'll … he'll… he's not gonna cheat on you like that!"

"Mina, you don't need to keep making excuses for yourself like that. We're walking towards a choice in career in which life is shorter than it already is for most people. We can't waste time on what-if's, but's, or maybe's. I don't want my best friend being heartbroken because she cared too much to give a slightly out-of-the ordinary relationship some thought, and then losing her life with that being her last regret." Mina hesitated to believe that even Tsuyu had thought that any of them could die. "Izuku took on a supervillain, Mina. He could have lost his life." They were both silent at that. "So I'm asking you, Mina-chan: do you want Izuku-chan to be your boyfriend too?"

"Absolutely." For the sake of confirming it out loud, Mina asked: "Sharing?"

"Sharing." The amphibian teen confirmed. And so, they promptly hugged and made up. They held the embrace for as long as they could allow.

"Besides," Tsuyu spoke in the embrace, "There are gonna be other girls in U.A. besides us, and I get the feeling things are going to get interesting when high school starts."

---

Credit for inspiration for "Entry through the warehouse" goes to the aptly named Kamil the Awesome.

Credit for inspiration for Inko's inner monologue goes to SevenRenny. I could really only imitate. No way I could say anything different without embarrassing myself.

Sorry if "Always next time" seemed rather OOC for Inko. I just wanted to imply that she was okay with the whole harem thing. I'll elaborate better next chapter.

This used to be to chapters, but now it's not. And that is the end of that story.

Fumikage Tokoyami

Age: 15

Gender: Male

Height: cm 168/ 5' 6"

Weight: 59 kgs /130 lbs.

Eyes: Red

Hair: Black

Nationality: Japanese

Date of Birth: October 30th

Handedness: Right

Blood Type: AB

Likes: Apples, dark places, high places

Dislikes: Bright Places, Large crowds

Character Theme: Skillet – Whispers in the Dark

Quirk: Dark Shadow – Fumikage's body contains a creature of sentient shadow that he can manifest and contract to and from his body freely. Fumikage can utilize Dark Shadow for various purposes including but not limited to attack, defense, literal heavy lifting, and restraint. Dark shadow becomes weaker in light, but easier to control. By direct contrast, darkness and negative emotions make him far more powerful, but harder to control. Being made of pure darkness, Dark Shadow's body is also malleable, allowing Fumikage to make him into the form of such objects as a spear, a small platform, a cloak, a dome, or even certain animals, among other things.

Costume: A simple black tuxedo with a matching grey tie, and black boots. He also has a set of night vision goggles on his head to help him see in the dark, unlike his companion, who can see naturally.

Fighting Style: Medium/close-range

Stats

Power - 4/5; B

Speed - 4/5; B

Technique - 5/5; A

Intelligence - 4/5; B

Cooperativeness - 5/5; A

Black Ankh: Fumikage's special move. Fumikage dons and equips Dark Shadow onto himself, wearing it like a suit of armor or an exoskeleton. According to Fumikage, equipping Dark Shadow onto himself mitigates his physical weaknesses.

Piercing Claw of the Dusk: Fumikage shoots out Dark Shadow's claw which attacks at great speed.

Gloom of the Black Arm: Fumikage enlarges Dark Shadows arms and smashes his targets with them.

Black Bindings: Dark Shadow sends out several tendrils of darkness, enveloping enemies and civilians alike in full-body bindings, whether as protecion or as capture.

Black Angel: Fumikage wraps himself up in Dark Shadow's arms and allows himself to be carried by it, while Dark Shadow flies by flapping its arms as wings.

Night Beast: Asura: Taking advantage of the dark of night, and Dark Shadow's consequent increase in size, and shapes him into a humanoid with six arms, each shaped into a different weapon.

I should also note: many of you seem convinced that Fumikage's head is that of a black bird. While it is true his character is comparable to that of Raven from the Teen Titans, Horikoshi overlooked one little detail: Black birds also have black beaks, and Fumikage's is yellow like any other bird's. He's made him a hawk whether he meant to or not.

Beware: the next chapter may very well be the longest in the whole work, regardless of future chapters. I will cover the next seven months before the entrance exam, and will feature many character introductions.